Life, 1917-07-12 · page 3 of 40
Life — July 12, 1917 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **an advertisement, not satirical content**. It's a full-page ad for Havoline Oil from the Indian Refining Company (New York City). The top photograph shows trains at night in a terminal with illuminated windows. The ad uses this image metaphorically: just as railway switches and signals keep fast-moving trains safely separated on different tracks, Havoline Oil keeps moving engine parts separated through lubrication, preventing damaging collisions between metal surfaces. The ad emphasizes three grades of oil (Light, Medium, Heavy) and lists lubrication's functions: keeping surfaces apart, reducing friction, and preventing wear. Small illustrations show oil containers and engine components. The tagline is "It makes a difference." This is straightforward early automotive advertising using an industrial metaphor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Keeping fast-moving bodies Trains whirling into the terminal. Their flying forms kept safely apart by tracks, switches, semaphores, and signal lights. The mechanism of a motor car whirling in its housings. Its fast- moving surfaces kept safely apart by Havoline Oil. “Collisions” between the rubbing surfaces of an automobile’s parts are as bad for a car as a collision of two trains for a railroad. Three Grades of Havoline The three grades of Havoline Oil fill every possible requirement of automobile lubri- cation. Once you get firmly in mind the functions of automobile lubrication, all mys- tery disappears from the subject, and you will never again be in doubt which grade of Havoline Oil your car requires— Havoline Light, Havoline Medium, or Havoline Heavy. HAVOLINE OIL REO.U.S.PAT. OFF, “Tt makes a difference” The Functions of Lubrication A high-class lubricating oil must do four things. 1. It must keep rubbing surfaces apart. 2. It must be able to stand up under the intense heat in the engine. 3. It must have sufficient body to form a perfect seai between the piston rings and cylinder walls, 30 that no gas can escape from the combustion chambers. 4. It must be so graded that it will perfectly Meet the requirements of worn parts and of the less accurately fitted parts of some cars. The three grades of Havoline measure fully up 30 each of these unperative requirements. What Havoline to Use Any car in which the motor is finely adjusted — where the moving parts are closely fitted — will operate better with Havoline Light. Later, when the parts become worn, use Havoline Medium. ‘The great majority of motors require Havoline Medium, but after being driven several thousand miles Havoline Heavy will serve better both asa lubricant and compression seal. ‘The careful motorist finds that it pays to empty out the oil sump every 1000 miles, and after rinsing with kerosene, refilling with fresh Havoline. The most essential item in the lubrication of a car is to do it thoroughly. Use Havoline Oil. Havoline Oil comes to you in sealed containers, form quality, full quantity, no waste, no impuriti Indian Refining Company, New York City Bacorporated Producers, Refiners and Di istributor of Petr FiVEUS GALLONS mET HAVOLINE OIL INDIAN REFINING Co New Yorn City comicbooks.com